GOP retools 'cut-and-grow' message

House Republicans know they’re struggling with their economic message, and they’re anxious to spin it back on track.

They believe a failure of communication, not policy, has left them struggling to show that their agenda will lead to robust job growth.

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Democrats, ousted from the hot seat of governance, are blistering Republican leaders for concentrating on a repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care law, micro-targeted spending cuts and the reversal of obscure federal regulations at a time of high unemployment. Republicans, House Democrats say, aren’t at all focused on jobs.

It’s a trap Democrats know well. The more complicated the message, the more difficult it is to sell.

As speaker, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California tried and failed to convince the public that she could put America back to work with a cap-and-trade energy bill, the massive health care overhaul and new regulations on Wall Street.

Republicans don’t want to meet the same fate, so GOP leaders and their top aides say they are recalibrating their communications strategy. They are shifting from a constant uttering of “Where are the jobs?” to explaining how their actions on the floor will spur the economy.

The centerpiece right now is an argument over whether a proposal to slash spending on domestic programs will create jobs.

The cuts, envisioned for a Continuing Resolution to fund the government through the end of September, will “restore restraints to the broken budget process and help promote better economic conditions for sustained job creation,” Republicans argued in a fresh set of talking points circulated to lawmakers Thursday.

They’ll also take to the House floor to direct committees to cut back what they consider harmful regulations — and during the course of the debate, committee chairmen will speak about how they are working to create jobs. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told committee chairmen during their interviews that their committee work must create jobs, reduce spending and shrink government.

“The expectation is that all Committee Chairmen conduct an appropriate and thorough oversight process with a focus on economic growth and private sector job creation, or as we call it – the cut and grow agenda,” said Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring. “That means a review of Administration policy that had a negative impact on jobs as well as a focus on proactive solutions that empower the private sector to get America working again.”

Additional cuts next week could come from Cantor’s YouCut program. Cantor will send one of three bills to the floor — the top vote-getter on his website will see time on the legislative calendar. One would ask for the refund of unspent contributions to United Nations peacekeeping activities, another would stop U.S. assistance for countries that hold more than $50 billion of our debt, and another would reclaim excess fees paid by the U.S. to the U.N.

Another challenge to communicating the cut-and-grow message is that Congress, simply, has other things to do. For example, the House Oversight and Government Reform committee is tied up in an investigation of Department of Homeland Security freedom of information practices, while simultaneously asking more than 100 other federal entities to provide their FOIA request logs. The Foreign Affairs committee, meanwhile, will meet on the crisis in Egypt.

Furthermore, House Republicans will once again have to confront the space between their campaign rhetoric and the realities of governing. The GOP did everything but promise all bills would go through the normal committee process. Top GOP aides do not expect the CR to get marked up in the Appropriations Committee, although the bill is set to make massive changes to government spending. They do plan to debate the bill under an open rule — a mechanism that allows for almost unlimited time and amendments.

“Never before has the Appropriations Committee marked up a CR and never before has a CR been considered under an open process on the House floor,” an Appropriations aide said.